IGLYO: fighting the corner of LGBT youths in Europe.

Currently Europe’s youth is facing a very challenging future. Unemployment and an ongoing economic crisis, with an ever increasing competition for skills are placing a great pressure on young people.

But a small minority is faced with even greater challenges, as they are fighting an ongoing battle for acceptance and equality. Europe’s LGBT youth is often misunderstood or ignored. Fighting their battles are a number of various NGOs and organizations, many of them established by the young people themselves, like IGLYO.

IGLYO (International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer Youth and Student Organization), was founded in 1984. It has over 80 member organizations working in over 40 countries in the Council of Europe and beyond, focusing on LGBT youths.

Patrick Dempsey, the Co-Chair of IGLYO, talks to the Eblana blog about the work of the organization and the recent worrying developments for LGBT individuals in the Eastern part of the continent. Finally, he explains what measures should be taken in the future to ensure equality for all in Europe.

Patrick describes how the Court of Human Rights, has played an important role in achieving basic freedoms for LGBT people across the Council of Europe. “In Western Europe, there is more of a chance a nation will have legislation in place, safeguarding gender identity issues. In the East, we recently have witnessed homosexual propaganda bills being considered or being passed in national parliaments,” Patrick describes.

Russia's 'non-traditional sexual relations' bill has led to an increase in societal prejudice toward LGBT people, and similar laws were considered in Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan.

There are also cases within the EU's borders. “Latvia for example, is considering something similar. In Lithuania, the law on protection of minors against detrimental effects of public information and providing punitive guidelines can be used against individuals and organizations,” he continues.

Posters, placards, slogans, lyrics, and public speeches fall under the vaguely-worded bill. The 'homosexual propaganda' laws are the harshest and most worrying challenges to fundamental rights and freedoms in many years, Patrick explains.

On a more positive note the EU has included a section of LGBTI rights within the accession candidate country reports, which focus on the accession candidate countries’ protections of LGBTI people and raises concerns.

The European Parliament passed the Lunecek Report which calls for a road-map on sexual orientation and gender identity. A road-map on sexual orientation and gender identity would ensure there is a comprehensive policy to protect the fundamental rights of LGBTI people, securing existing rights within the areas of competency of the European Commission.

“It would also be significant in the area of education,” Patrick believes. The Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner has already spoken out on equal access of education to LGBT youth and recommends IGLYO's minimum standards on tackling homophobic and transphobic bullying as positive guidelines in the area. 

But primarily, it all depends on the national government policies. Some nations have grasped the multilevel approach of ensuring that anti-bullying policies are pursued by all stakeholders at all levels, between Department's of Education, teachers bodies, LGBT youth organizations and student bodies.

Still in some countries their activities are hidden, ignored and actively discouraged. Russia and Lithuania's 'propaganda' laws are clear examples where states are actively trying to stop the vital work of LGBT youth organizations.

IGLYO has been fortunate in working at the Council of Europe level. “We have great partners, particularly with the European Bureau of Secondary Schools Unions, the European Student's Union, the European Youth Forum and other human rights organizations like the European Disability Forum and Roma organizations,” Patrick says.

IGLYO is in its 30th year and a big issue during these times has been education. “This year, we conducted research on the impact of homophobic and transphobic bullying in education, training and employment,” he continues.

“We launched minimum standards, shaped by LGBT youth across Europe, to help tackling homophobic and transphobic bullying. We conducted norm-criticism seminars with stakeholders and are working teachers’ guides and tool-kits. We also worked with the European Parliament on a seminar on homophobic and transphobic bullying,” Patrick describes.

Inter-sectionality, which explores the intersections between forms or systems of oppression, domination and how different types of discrimination interact, is a focus for IGLYO. The organization wants to ensure that all of its work and members reflect the diversity of LGBT youth. “We have held roundtables on gender, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity and dis-ability, which were a great success. We also ran a conference to empower activists on this issue,” he notes.

IGLYO is the main representative of LGBT youth and continues to work closely with European Parliament, Council of Europe, UNAids and other human rights organizations in ensuring the voices of LGBTQ youth are heard.

Currently their concerns often evolve around marriage equality. It is a very important step in recognizing the validity of a same-sex relationship, according to IGLYO. Loving same sex relationships are as positive for society and families as loving opposite sex relationships.

Marriage equality is not just important in ensuring full rights and responsibilities. For LGBT young people it allows them to have equal aspirations as their straight peers. “All young people dream of their futures, whether that's to do with jobs or family,” Patrick mentions.

“Marriage equality implies to young LGBT people that if you want a family of your own, that's just as valid and supported as your straight friends wish for a family. It tells them that they aren’t second class citizens, nor will their families be,” he adds.

Patrick believes that civil partnerships are a welcome step forward, but the title still implies a difference between relationships and families. Full equality should be considered a minimum standard, not 'equality, but...'

Yet for some of IGLYO's members, marriage equality is not an issue as of yet. For them, they are more concerned about their right to assemble peacefully, organize themselves, attend prides and ensure their own safety.

“This does not mean marriage equality is not a concern, just that it is a prospect  many LGBT communities in Europe can't think forward to as they are fighting for their most basic human and democratic rights. In the EU, half of LGBT people felt discriminated against in the past 12 months,” Patrick states.

Additionally it's important that there is a basic level of respect and understanding in European media, as words can have great impact. In terms of marriage equality debates, very negative language has been used in debates to 'other' LGBT people - saying that LGBT people are not capable of raising families, when they already have done, and are doing.

The public and social media must ensure debates are open, but also must ensure they are fair, respectful and do not promote hate speech. Hate speech can have a negative impact on LGBT young people and act as a trigger for substance abuse or self harm.

Another issue concerning all European youths in general is that often there is a presumption that sex education can promote promiscuity and poor choices. “Sex education puts a weight on how big of a deal sex can be,” Patrick says.

It empowers young people to make safe and informed decisions about sex and their own bodies, as well as ensuring that young people are aware of the legal age of consent and encourages them to say no if they feel uncomfortable. “LGBT young people should have equal access to sex education and ensure that they too are informed and safe,” he concludes.

The major European economies are the gangrene of this continent.

Ahead of the European summit in Brussels on 24 October, French President François Hollande said that economic growth was a bigger priority than the EU pact limiting national deficits to less than 3% of GDP, and that France would therefore apply a “maximum of flexibility” when interpreting the rules. (Debating Europe).

That of course means that France will once again "be forced" to break the EU budget rules, for the good of its economy and naturally, the good of all European economy.

Because "they are too big to fail," the EU leadership will allow France to bend the rules, instead of proceeding with a partial bail-out like in Spain, or tightening its supervision on the French economy. The excuse is that if France fails, Europe will not be able to bail it out and so the whole European economy will suffer, France being the second largest euro-zone economy.

That is true, but Europe can certainly place some limitations on France, so the country's government and policy makers do not act carelessly ever again. If limitations are not followed, then perhaps an IMF supervision if not a bail-out, would force the French leadership to focus on the economy and stop creating scandals around their private lives.

After all it is outrageous, only years after the EU and its richer member states slated Greece for breaking the rules and getting itself into trouble, now they are so lenient on France. You see it is easier to criticize and point the finger, when you know that the same rules won't ever apply to you.

It is not just the fact that Greece had to be humiliated from its very "partners," nor that it had to become the scapegoat for all the faults in the euro-zone and most EU institutions: what is even more unacceptable is that the Greek people had to see their living conditions dramatically lowered, just so the European banks-which include many French ones- could be saved.

If we examine the connection of the Greek, Cypriot, Irish and Portuguese debt with the German, French, British and American bond holders in their banking system, then it is clear that whatever money was saved from the severe spending cuts in these nations, went straight to the maintenance of the European banking system.

In other words, the Greeks, the Irish and the Portuguese, had to go through painful austerity measures in order the banks of this continent, but also the euro itself to be saved. And while these nations were happily sacrificed by the European elites in order to achieve economic stability in the continent, other nations like France are spared not just from humiliation but also the degradation of their citizens' living standards.

Thus it is clear that this type of "union" that the EU is at the moment, is anything but equal or fair. Bigger member states can get away with everything because they are too "important," while others are called to pay up and are humiliated on top of that, for something that was not entirely their fault in the first place!

It is not just France but also Italy, Germany and Britain who have been acting like bosses, spoiled brats and bickering divas for the past years of the crisis. We have witnessed the German elites dictating other nations how to "keep their books" or deal with their affairs, while they hold a less painful solution in their hands: Germany needs to start spending.

But because this would go against their very economic philosophy and also hurt their economy and interests, they think they can dominate the economic policies of the whole continent and tell other nations how to run their countries.

With the excuse of also being "too big to fail," or Europe's leading economy that has to bail out the rest of "less competent" member states, they have hijacked the European economy. The fact that the euro benefits their economy the most, while it is seriously hurting the rest of the smaller states conveniently eludes them.

And not just them, but all their satellite economies like Holland, Finland and Austria have been very bold in the past of criticizing other nations about their economic affairs, seeking to indulge their citizens with populism and cover up the cracks in their own economies.

Cracks that in the case of Holland but also Finland who recently fell back into a recession, can not be covered by blaming the Greeks, the Irish or the Portuguese anymore.

Britain and Italy are also up in arms over the EU's budget and we have even seen the British PM David Cameron lashing out at the EU, about a €2.1bn surcharge on the UK from the union's block, branding it as "unjustified." All this, even as it emerged that British officials played a role in endorsing the calculations. (Financial Times).

This bill in other words has been agreed by all our government officials beforehand, but Cameron just wants to indulge the British public with some good old traditional Tory Euro-skepticism. As UKIP gains popularity, he is basically trying to save the interests of his party and his career as PM, using the EU once again as a scapegoat.

It is clear that the EU is a serious mess, not because of the "laziness" of the smaller states, rather the constant bickering of the major economies of the continent. France is arguing with Germany, Britain with both and the EU itself and Germany with everyone else in the block, about how the European economy should be run.

The interests of the countries who are branding themselves as "too big to fail," are hurting the unity of Europe, but also the economies of all the smaller nations caught up in the middle of the big nations' power games. And while the citizens of the peripheral economies are seeing their incomes slashed, the living standards of those in the big economies remain the same, if not getting better.

If we want to keep the euro and build a fair European union, the living standards, salaries and pensions in the euro-zone must be harmonized. In other words, if the salaries of the Greeks are slashed by 40% in a couple of years, then something similar must be applied on other richer euro-zone members until all reach a similar level.

Yet in this case the French citizens will evade such fate, because they are lucky to live in a country "too big to fail." But when the Greeks and the Portuguese arrive in their country seeking a better future, because Europe's economic policies have destroyed theirs in their own countries, then they will complain about the rise of immigration. Additionally perhaps just like Britain, they will seek to limit the free movement of citizens in the EU.

Something which I will remind them is a de facto right for all EU citizens since the creation of the Single Market, now the rich nations are seeking to reverse in order to protect their own interests. After reading all the above, one would ever thought why would any country would seek to join such union.

A union that is dominated by former colonial or imperial powers, that have not forgotten their skills of how to rob off resources from smaller weaker nations. All they have to do now, instead of invading them is to throw more and more debt on them and force them into bail out agreements, which they will have to repay for decades to come.

The real problem here is inter-governmental-ism and  the selfish attitude of the rich elites, of the richer nations that while trying to protect their own interests, are bickering among them on who will get the lion's share. There are two solutions for this mess: either dismantle the EU or proceed with a closer federation.

Dismantling it could mean a very messy break-up which most likely will destroy what is left of the European economy. Moreover it could also lead to war once again knowing Europe's recent history, or the absolute surrender to third powers like Russia, America and China. Once European nations are divided and weakened, it will be easy for other regions to rise and take advantage of the situation.

A closer union will mean that the interests of the "too big to fail" nations are put aside and a European federal or confederate government, will make sure that all countries are treated equally and wealth or opportunities are equally shared.

But Europeans have not yet reached a certain level of maturity to realize this and so protectionism, conservatism and nationalism prevails.